Class 5A boys basketball: Benson blows by Mountain View 65-44

EUGENE – With three-time champion Jefferson absent from the Class 5A boys basketball state tournament this year, it’s anybody’s guess who might be holding the big trophy Saturday night at Matthew Knight Arena and it could very well be Benson.

There is a opportunity big enough to drive a truck through with Jeff gone, and Benson plans on taking advantage.The Techmen (22-3) easily blew by Mountain View (16-8)65-44 in a first-round game Wednesday afternoon, setting up a Friday semifinal matchup with potent Bend (22-2).

The Lava Bears, yet to hit their stride offensively in the tournament, got by Crescent Valley 56-49 in Wednesday’s first game.

Andrew Andrews, who is Washington Huskies-bound after he finishes a stint at Brewster Prep Academy in Massachusetts next season, was Benson’s scoring leader with 24 points. Andrews wasn’t perfect – he did miss a wide-open one-handed dunk attempt – but he was clearly the best athlete on the floor.

Hard-working Techmen center Vaughn Thirdgill put in four quarters of hard work for coach Troy Berry’s team with 15 points and eight rebounds and Benson played its usual tough defense to rout Mountain View of the Intermountain League.

“We’re just here to play, and try and go as far as we can,’’ said Andrews, when it was suggested the Techmen might have come to Eugene with a chip on their shoulder because they were only No. 5 in the OSAA 5A power rankings.

Andrews said “some hard practices’’ for Benson in the days prior to the tournament paid dividends with a strong defensive performance. Tech has a bread-and-butter man to man, and another defense it calls the “amoeba’’ to confuse other teams.

“Our confidence is definitely high right now. We’ve just got to focused on our main goal, which is winning State,’’ he said.And the missed slam?

“I was trying to throw it down too hard,’’ said Andrews.

Benson saw parts of the Bend-Crescent Valley game. The Techmen figure to have a harder time defending the Lava Bears, who pass well and have good shooters.

“They’ve got a couple good players. It’s going to be a good game, I think,’’ said Andrews.

Benson’s Nate Carter, Tech’s shutdown defender, took on Mountain View top scorer James Reid and held Reid to 1-for-7 shooting and just four points. “He locks up everyone’s best player, that’s his job,’’ said Andrews. “He’s been out best defender all year.’’

Said Berry, “all year long our defense has been a staple for us. What we wanted to do was make sure we played aggressively. And for the most part we did that, and we were doing it without fouling. If we can move our feet and get some unforced turnovers, that’s great for us.’’

Benson players loved being on the floor at Matthew Knight Arena, said Berry.

“Ah, man, it was a deal where they kept asking me all day, hey coach can we go over? We were staying right across the street at the Holiday Inn Express. … they’re excited. Heck, I’m excited. This is probably the best venue in America, know what I mean?’’